Question raised over Rayney boot marks

Question raised over Rayney boot marks - The West Australian

Scuff and gouge marks on the cowboy boots Corryn Rayney was wearing the night she died could have been caused by a “whole range” of factors, a defence witness told Lloyd Rayney's murder trial this morning.

Appearing by videolink, Dennis Vernon said he agreed with prosecution witness and biomechanics expert Angus Bennett that it was “unlikely” the marks were caused by ordinary walking or running, if the boots had not come into contact with anything.

But Professor Vernon said the damage could have been caused by walking if the boot was to “accidentally catch any inanimate object”.

“In the real world we don’t just walk along the street, we walk up and down hills, steps… different situations,” he said.

“The shoe’s there to protect the foot and… could contact with any surface during those activities.”

The prosecution alleges the marks on Mrs Rayney’s boots were caused when her body was dragged across the bricks outside her Como home.

Brick, soil and paint particles recovered from her boots have been shown to be similar to samples taken from the Rayneys’ home.

Prof Vernon said he had examined between 80,000 and 100,000 pairs of shoes over the course of his career in podiatry.

He testified that drag tests he performed did not produce "anywhere near the same degree of wear" as were visible on Mrs Rayney's boots.